A homeless mother nervously stepped into a bank clutching her late grandfather’s worn-out card, hoping for a few dollars. But when the teller inserted it, the balance that flashed across the screen stunned the entire room into silence.

The Number

Margaret rotated the monitor again.

The balance appeared on the screen.

Clara stared at it.

At first, it made no sense.

Then her mind slowly processed the numbers.

142,600,000.

Her voice barely escaped.

“That… can’t be right.”

Margaret nodded calmly.

“It is.”